Joe Biden accused Donald Trump of “distraction” after he launched an investigation into the former Democratic president’s time in office, claiming Biden’s top aides had covered up his cognitive decline and taken decisions on his behalf.
Biden added: “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency.
In that campaign, Biden was forced to drop out after a disastrous debate performance heightened concerns over his abilities and age.
He was eventually replaced by his vice-president, Kamala Harris, who lost the November 2024 election to Trump.
Trump called Biden’s use of an autopen “one of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history”.
When Joe Biden opened an investigation into the former Democratic president’s tenure in office, he accused Trump of “distraction,” saying that Biden’s top aides had concealed his cognitive decline and made decisions for him.
Biden said in a statement that was widely sent to US media via email that the announcement was made late Wednesday, just as Trump was advancing a significant piece of legislation that his detractors claimed included significant cuts to social spending and tax cuts.
Biden characterized this as merely a diversion by Donald Trump and congressional Republicans who are trying to pass disastrous legislation that would increase costs for American families and cut vital programs like Medicaid in order to fund tax breaks for large corporations and the ultra-wealthy.
“Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency,” Biden continued. I was the one who decided on the legislation, proclamations, executive orders, and pardons. The idea that I didn’t is absurd and untrue. “.”.
Trump has frequently criticized Biden for his actions during the last years of his presidency, even going so far as to spread the rumor that a robot clone took Biden’s place after he was executed in 2020.
Nonetheless, Biden’s mental clarity and physical well-being have received more attention, particularly since the publication of a book co-written by CNN anchor Jake Tapper that detailed his physical and mental deterioration during his presidency, which the book claimed grew worse as the 2024 election approached.
After a dismal debate performance raised questions about his age and skills, Biden was forced to withdraw from that campaign. His vice president, Kamala Harris, who was defeated by Trump in the November 2024 election, eventually succeeded him.
As part of his investigation announcement, Trump instructed the president’s counsel to look into “whether certain individuals conspired to deceive the public about Biden’s mental state and unconstitutionally exercise the authorities and responsibilities of the president,” consulting with the attorney general, Pam Bondi, and other officials.
The use of the autopen by Biden to sign legislation will be the main focus of the investigation. For decades, US presidents have signed executive actions using an autopen, a mechanical device that mimics a person’s real signature.
“One of the most dangerous and concerning scandals in American history,” according to Trump, was Biden’s use of an autopen.
As the US president and his political allies attempt to force Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act through Congress, it encounters prominent opposition.
Elon Musk, a former ally of Trump who seems to have drifted away from him after assisting him in cutting government spending, has referred to the bill as a “disgusting abomination.”.
Approximately $3.75 trillion in tax cuts are included in the bill, which temporarily adds new tax breaks that Trump ran on, such as tip tax exemptions, and extends the 2017 individual income tax breaks that were about to expire. Nearly $1.33 trillion in lower federal spending elsewhere, specifically in the areas of food assistance and Medicaid, would partially offset the revenue loss.
According to the analysis, 7.8 million people would lose their health insurance as a result of the changes to Medicaid, including 5.2 million from the proposed new work requirements on non-disabled adults up to age 65, with some exceptions. About 1.4 million US citizens who are currently enrolled in state-funded health programs but do not have legal status would no longer be covered.
This report was aided by the Associated Press.
